Nyakyusa

Location: The Nyakyusa live in the region of Tanzania. The Nyakyusian people's homeland stretches from North Rukuru River near Karonga in Malawi to the town of Mbeye in Tanzania. (http://www.2001pray.org/PeopleGroups/Nyakyusa.htm).

Language: Nyakyusa people speak Bantu. Even though Nyakyusians speak Bantu, they speak a different dialect. Their dialect is one of the few Bantu languages that does not make use of tones, and is also quite a bit different from surrounding languages in terms of vocabulary.

Daily Life: When Nyakyusa boys reach the ages 11-13 (puberty) they leave their homes and head their own ways into the forest and pick a suitable place to clear for a new village. The next group of adolescents would then have to make another settlement to keep growing. (The Life Cycle/ The Coming Age pg. 2298). This movement of young boys is the basis of new communities and allows for recognition of the sexual maturity into the wider society.

Resources:

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mankind, Marshal Cavendish Limited inc., pg. 2298. 1990.

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9056560

Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life, Henry Holt and Company N.Y., V1-Africa.

Written by: Brandon Lutterman